Winds of the North

A sandbox RPG for one player set in Viking Age Scandinavia

Updated Cover

Status
Playtesting

Version
0.9.2

Release
TBD

Mechanics
Dice rolling (d8)
Attributes/Modifiers
Resolution tables
Random tables/Events

Sandbox Gameplay

Winds of the North is a sandbox game, a cross between a Harvest Moon farming game and a survival adventure game like the classic Barbarian Prince. You begin with a small farm, some silver, and a few starting animals. Your only real goals are to survive and somehow become a Viking King or Queen. Along the way, you are free to do just about anything you want. Here are some of the things you’ll be able to do:

  • Fish
  • Hunt
  • Adventure over land and seas
  • Plant and harvest crops
  • Gather wood and mine ore
  • Expand your farm
  • Craft items
  • Hawk goods and items at local markets
  • Deliver orders to distant market towns
  • Attend seasonal festivals
  • And of course, go raiding

Your Character

Your character has 5 Skills which you will get to set with starting values however you want.

  • Combat: Your ability to fight in armed combat or mock battles and wrestling.
  • Survival: Your skill in exploring over land and foraging resources in the wild.
  • Farming: Your skill in working the farm, from crops to building to managing livestock.
  • Seamanship: Your skill governing sailing and fishing.
  • Wisdom: Your knowledge, creativity, and leadership.

Medieval Hardships

A major aspect of the game is keeping yourself and those under your command alive. Winters are harsh, food can run short, meat spoils, people of your household and your livestock can get sick, and anyone, including you, can die. The Viking Age is an unforgiving period and only the strongest can survive and thrive.

Blog Posts

Winds of the North 1.0 Progress Update

It’s been quite some time since I last posted an update on Winds of the North. Some of you reading this might not even know what it is! What is it? Winds of the North is my upcoming solitaire gamebook set in Viking Age Scandinavia. It’s a huge sandbox game with lots to do like…

Catching Up on Games (12/11/24)

We went through a long period of not being able to meet up for games, but toward the end of the year, we have gone crazy, playing as often as we can. As a result, there’s a lot more here than I was expecting! It’s also nearly all replays. But coming up soon will also…

Winds of the North Update & Call for Feedback

As expected after re-building the PDF, there were some errors resulting from the rebuild. There are a couple of other things to correct or update. Overall, nothing was a major problem, but I wanted to get an update out and also put out the call for feedback. Updates & Corrections Call for Feedback The new…

More Winds of the North Blog Posts